The Portopia Serial Murder Case cover art

Game

The Portopia Serial Murder Case

1983 · PC-8800 Series · Sharp X1 · Family Computer · FM-7 · NEC PC-6000 Series · MSX · Point-and-click · Adventure · Visual Novel

About this game

An investigation adventure in which the player, acting as an unnamed Japanese detective, is called to solve the murder of a bank executive by searching for clues, exploring different areas, interacting with characters, and solving item-based puzzles. The game, especially its Famicom version, was received positively in Japan, where it was an influential title that defined the visual novel genre, as well as inspiring future designers such as Hideo Kojima and paving the way for creator Yuji Horii to go on to make Dragon Quest series of role-playing games.

Kouzou Yamakawa, the president of the Loan and Savings Company, was found dead inside his mansion. A detective and his assistant arrive at the scene for further investigation. The player must resolve the mystery of a murder by searching for clues, interacting with characters, and solving item-based puzzles.

Screenshots

The Portopia Serial Murder Case screenshot
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Game facts

Release date

Jun 1, 1983

Developer

Yuji Horii

Publisher

Enix

Platforms

PC-8800 Series, Sharp X1, Family Computer, FM-7, NEC PC-6000 Series, MSX

Genres

Point-and-click, Adventure, Visual Novel

Themes

Thriller, Open world, Mystery

Game modes

Single player

Perspective

First person

Editions & related releases

More from Yuji Horii

More games to explore

Game data and artwork via IGDB.

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